Victim of Beloit homicide identified by police

BELOIT, Wis (WMTV) - The City of Beloit Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred in the 800 block of Vine Street Saturday around 2:40 p.m.

City of Beloit Police Department Facebook Page

The Beloit Police Department is now confirming that the victim was 28-year-old James Tomten of Janesville.

Officers found Tomten when they responded to a call of a person down in the 800 block of Vine Street.

Preliminary autopsy results confirm that Tomten's death "was the result of homicidal firearm trauma."

The suspect and the victim had a relationship or knew each other, according to the City of Beloit Police Department. The department does not believe that there is an ongoing threat to the community at large.

However, neighbors in the area are still concerned. One woman who has lived on Vine St. for almost 30 years said the neighborhood is usually quiet a good for families. She said she does not remember anything like this happening before.

Neighbors also said they did not hear or see anything suspicious until police arrived on scene.

"I was scared honestly, I was scared. The guy was just there, laying there, it was just scary," said Karina Ramirez, a 15-year-old who has lived on Vine St. for five years. "This street is a really calm street and since I've lived here, nothing like that has ever happened which was really scary at first because you just don't see stuff like that happen around here."

Detectives are investigating and following up on leads. They request that anyone with information call 608-757-2244.

The City of Beloit Police Department will hold a news conference on Monday, Feb. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

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